The Batman star Robert Pattinson is open to Robin joining director Matt Reeves' gritty noir take on the Dark Knight mythos, but only on one condition -- he needs to remain a Boy Wonder.
"Yeah, but he has to be 13," Pattinson responded to the Robin question at a press event attended by Collider and other outlets. "That's the only way I'll accept it. No, I love Death in the Family and stuff, but I think it'd be so cool. Also people are so scared of it, but it's kind of exciting. I think it would be a really fun addition."
Despite initially joking that there are no plans for Robin to appear in any sequels, Reeves added that he was also a fan of A Death in the Family. The director clarified that his goal with adapting future Batman stories or characters would be to consider "how can we do this in a way that feels fresh and grounded... Look at that scary thing and see if there's a way to do it."
A Death in the Family -- one of the landmark Batman storylines of the 1980s -- was written by Jim Starlin and penciled by Jim Aparo. It focuses on the Joker's brutal murder of the second Robin, Jason Todd, who for years stayed dead and served as a reminder of Batman's greatest failure. Eventually, Jason was resurrected as the Red Hood in the 2005 story Under the Hood.
Despite the familiarity that mainstream audiences have with the concept of the Dynamic Duo, Robin has largely been absent from Batman's live-action appearances. Burt Ward played the Boy Wonder in the 1966 Batman television show alongside Adam West, later reprising the role in the feature film released that same year. In 1992, director Tim Burton originally cast Marlon Wayans as Robin in Batman Returns before the character was dropped from the final version of the film.
Chris O'Donnell became the first actor since Ward to portray Robin on screen in 1995's Batman Forever and 1997's Batman & Robin. His version of the Boy Wonder was significantly aged up from Robin's adolescent origins in the comic books, portrayed as a young biker with a chip on his shoulder. Robin remained absent in Christopher Nolan's Batman films until 2012's The Dark Knight Rises, when a police officer named John Blake -- played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt -- assisted Christian Bale's Batman in saving Gotham City. In the final moments of the movie, John's legal name is revealed as Robin, though the character bore little resemblance to any of his comic book counterparts aside from the name.
Arguably the most comic-accurate portrayal of Batman's sidekick has been in the television series Titans wherein Brenton Thwaites plays a bitter Dick Grayson disillusioned with his former mentor. The sidekick eventually takes on the identity of Nightwing in an effort to distance himself from Bruce. Curran Walters also plays Jason Todd and the Red Hood in the show.
The Batman premieres in cinemas on March 4 and HBO Max on April 19.
Source: Collider